Francis William Cloupe, known to his friends as Butch or Franko, passed away at his home on December 26, 2018. Frank was born on July 26, 1950, in Weehawken, New Jersey to Maria and Frank Cloupe and grew up in Guttenburg, NJ. He received his BA in Psychology from Rutgers University in 1972, and his MS in counseling From SUNY Plattsburgh in 1987.
He is survived by his beloved son, Jesse and his wife Jennifer, his former wife and long-time friend, Lynne Taylor, two cherished grandchildren, Brey and William; his sister, Cathy and her husband, James and nieces Lisa, Jamie, Katie and their families. He was predeceased by his younger brother, Larry. His desire to help people led him to North Star Industries where he served the local communities for 33 years until he retired as the Director of Services.
He served on the Franklin County Community Housing Council for many years, also as president. However, what defined him was much, much more. He fell in love with Chateaugay Lake as a young boy on vacation with his family.
During his youth, he worked as a jack-of-all-trades at the Banner House Inn on the lake, and after being away to earn his degree he never strayed far from its shores. He swam, fished and boated, inviting friends to join on frequent cruises. Frank was a tenacious windsurfer in earlier years, and when the water got too hard to sail, he cross-country skied on it and in the surrounding forests.
He loved motorcycles and took pride in knowing about their inner workings. Frank’s joy was a 1974 BMW R90/6, which he diligently maintained and often rode to work with a sock over his shifting foot to keep his shoe clean. His son Jesse now enjoys the bike in the Utah Mountains.
He was a talented musician who played in a local band called Sweet Water, and then Sweet Water Revival, for many years. It took little prodding to get Frank to pull out his guitar and float old songs out onto the summer shores of Chateaugay Lake. Among his most requested, and not by accident, was Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville”.
Frank was a great epicurean and had a long running relationship with his grill. His passion was about food, but also the company it brought. Friends will remember him bouncing between animated conversations and his grill, and smacking his lips over some new marinade.
He was a warm-hearted, loyal friend who received visitors with a hug, and in later years, he liked nothing more than breaking bread and sharing the stories of people’s lives. He will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Chateaugay Lake Foundation.
A celebration of his life will be held in the summer, his favorite season and will be announced at a later time. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Mr. Francis William Cloupe please visit our Sympathy Store.
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